The role of technical, biological, and pharmacological factors in the laboratory evaluation of anticonvulsant drugs. VII. Seasonal influences on anticonvulsant drug actions in mouse models of generalized seizures

..By the experimental observations summarized in this review, most clinical effects of valproate can be explained, although much remains to be learned at a number of different levels of valproate's mechanisms of action...

Anticonvulsant efficacy of gabapentin and levetiracetam in phenytoin-resistant kindled rats

..Furthermore, the data substantiate that the choice of adequate controls is critical in neurochemical and functional studies on the kindling phenomenon...

The role of technical, biological, and pharmacological factors in the laboratory evaluation of anticonvulsant drugs. VII. Seasonal influences on anticonvulsant drug actions in mouse models of generalized seizures

..The present results substantiate that kindled subgroups of Wistar rats with different response to phenytoin are a valuable source for studying the mechanisms underlying the development of pharmaco-resistant limbic seizures...

Development of tolerance during chronic treatment of kindled rats with the novel antiepileptic drug levetiracetam

..E. is an effective means to reduce the damage produced by a sustained S.E. in several brain regions, including the hippocampus, but show that this partial neuroprotection of the limbic system does not prevent the development of epilepsy...

..The data substantiate the particular susceptibility of the central PC to seizure-induced plasticity and indicate that this brain region provides an interesting tool to study the regulation of GAD isoenzymes...

Gabapentin decreases the severity of dystonia at low doses in a genetic animal model of paroxysmal dystonic choreoathetosis

..As the described differences have a genetic basis, they offer a unique opportunity to identify the genes and pathways involved and contribute to a better understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms of seizure susceptibility...

Alterations in spontaneous single unit activity of striatal subdivisions during ontogenesis in mutant dystonic hamsters

..Tentatively, activity-dependent GABA-mediated excitation caused by chronic treatment with phenobarbital may be important for the prodystonic effects under pathological conditions in dt(sz) hamsters...

The central piriform cortex: anatomical connections and anticonvulsant effect of GABA elevation in the kindling model

..The data indicate that spontaneous paroxysmal circling behavior in the ci2 rat is not a consequence of epilepsy but reflects a hyperkinetic movement disorder with abnormal lateralization of brain function...

The electrical activity is impaired in the red nucleus of dt(sz) mutant hamsters with paroxysmal dystonia: an EEG power spectrum analysis of depth electrode recordings

..Although the observed changes of neural activity in the RN are probably based on a primary dysfunction in related structures, the present data demonstrate its importance in the expression of dystonic movements...

Pathology of idiopathic dystonia: findings from genetic animal models

A RichterDepartment of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmacy, School of Veterinary Medicine, Hannover, GermanyProg Neurobiol 54:633-77. 1998

..In addition to increasing our understanding of the pathophysiology of idiopathic dystonia, animal models may help to improve therapeutic strategies for this movement disorder...

Kindling-induced overexpression of Homer 1A and its functional implications for epileptogenesis

..The data indicate that, in contrast to flurothyl seizures, in kindled rats the anterior pars reticulata of the substantia nigra is not a site at which muscimol causes robust anticonvulsant effects...

..The antidystonic activity of piracetam and levetiracetam was not associated with any behavioral side effects. The data indicate that piracetam and levetiracetam are interesting novel treatments for idiopathic dystonia...

..Peripheral side effects may limit the clinical use of NO synthase inhibitors, but more selective inhibitors of the neuronal NO synthase should be considered as interesting candidates for the treatment of paroxysmal dystonia...

Critical re-evaluation of previous preclinical strategies for the discovery and the development of new antiepileptic drugs

..Overall, it was felt that the current preclinical strategies for the discovery and development of new AEDs have to be redefined in order to identify agents that are clearly superior to current medications...

Repeated low-dose treatment of rats with pilocarpine: low mortality but high proportion of rats developing epilepsy